Businesses required to close due to the national restrictions which started on 5 November 2020, may be eligible for a grant.
Eligible businesses will receive a one-off grant to support them during the four-week closure and help them with the ongoing challenges presented by coronavirus. Eligible businesses that have:
properties with a rateable value of £15,000 or under will receive grants of £1,334
properties with a rateable value of between £15,000 and £51,000 will receive grants of £2,000
properties with a rateable value of £51,000 or over will receive grants of £3,000
We have been awarded £10 million for the Additional Restrictions Grant, a discretionary grant scheme that will support those businesses required to close or have been severely affected by the national restrictions, but which do not pay business rates.
We are working up the detail of how to award the money to businesses in Wiltshire who are most in need of financial support and will publish these details and launch this scheme next week.
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme
Claims for furloughed days in November 2020 must be submitted by 14 December 2020.
All final claims for periods up to 31 October 2020 must be submitted on or before 30 November 2020.
If a member of your staff is on a lower income and they are required to self-isolate because of COVID-19, they may be eligible for a support payment of £500, payable in a lump sum.
To receive this payment, they must:
have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace after 28 September 2020 and have a unique Test and Trace number provided by the NHS
be employed or self-employed
have lost income by being unable to work from home while self-isolating
and be receiving at least one of the following benefits:
Universal Credit
Pension Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
income-based Employment Support Allowance
Working Tax Credit
They can apply for the support payment by calling 0300 456 0110 or email any questions to benefits@wiltshire.gov.uk and our team will be happy to help.
We have launched our local COVID-19 contact tracing partnership, with the aim of contacting positive cases quickly and slowing the spread of the virus.
Our local service will support the NHS Test and Trace service and will step in should the national team be unable to reach a person in Wiltshire who has tested positive for COVID-19.
If the national contact tracers are unable to reach a positive local case, they will pass on the relevant details to ourselves and we will use local methods to make contact. We will send a text message to the positive case first, and then follow this up with phone calls. It is a legal requirement for people to self-isolate when they receive a positive COVID-19 test result.
If you have a positive COVID-19 test result and are contacted by 0300 456 0100, you are urged to pick up as this will be Wiltshire’s contact tracers looking to pass on information and advice as well as establish any close contacts to ensure they too also self-isolate. Please save the phone number in your phone’s contact list so that you know immediately who is trying to reach you. Our local tracing team is made up of members of our public health service.
Over 7,000 businesses have now signed up to the new Trader Support Service (TSS), which will support traders moving goods under the Northern Ireland Protocol from 1 January 2021.
More traders are being encouraged to register and take advantage of the scheme’s wide-ranging package of customs support and guidance.
Traders who sign up before 23 November will be automatically issued a unique identifying number that will be required from January to move goods to or from Northern Ireland. Those who register later may need to apply separately to be issued with this number.
New initiatives to help hauliers prepare for the end of the transition period
The government has announced that 45 information and advice sites are now open across the UK to prepare hauliers for the end of the transition period (the UK leaving the EU on 1 January 2021). The sites will offer hauliers one-to-one training on the new procedures coming into place.
A Haulier Handbook acts as a one-stop-shop to provide key information and advice on customs procedures, clearly setting out how hauliers can prepare themselves, their vehicles and their goods to continue travelling smoothly across the GB-EU border and help minimise disruption.
Prime Minister outlines his Ten Point Plan on climate action
The Prime Minister has set out his ten-point plan for climate action, covering clean energy, transport, nature and innovative technologies. The plan will mobilise £12 billion of government investment to create and support highly-skilled green jobs in the UK.
Have your say on the proposed A350 Melksham bypass
We’re exploring options to improve the A350 at Melksham, including the potential for a new bypass, and we’re seeking your views on our progress so far, and the various route options.
Wednesday 25 November marks the start of the 16 days of action, a campaign to highlight the duty of care employers have to provide to employees seeking help, advice and support if they are victims of domestic abuse.
The Survivor Pathway website provides a vital source of information for victims of sexual abuse and violence.
Employers can play a part in preventing domestic abuse by providing support for employees affected. This BiTC Domestic abuse toolkit provides actions employers can take.
Self Assessment customers warning about scammers
Self Assessment customers should be alert to criminals claiming to be from HM Revenue and Customs.
